The press is in over-hype mode on the forthcoming iPhone from Apple.
It's the most hyped technology product I've ever seen. Brace yourself
for mountains of stories about Mac-heads lining up in
advance to buy it. iPhones will sell simply because of the novel
approach as well as the millions of free marketing dollars the
press is
giving to Apple. But will it be successful? Will it sell ten
million?
Will it change how we interact with phones? Will it empower mobile
customers?

The iPhone is virtually void of
buttons replaced by a touchscreen that
gives it a remarkably clean look and a bold new interface, operated
with
finger gestures called multi-touch. Do people want buttons on their
phones? Do people need buttons? I'm not talking about quadrants on a
slick glass screen, but actual, physical, pushable objects with
different labels, shapes, and sizes that click when you depress them
(tactile feedback).
Aesthetics aside, is it practical for a multi-function device to have
no
buttons?

"...If your software needs are
exactly what Steve Jobs
and AT&T dictate and if you don't mind AT&T's hand in
your
wallet, then fine."

The current phone I carry is the Nokia e61i
which compares very
favorably with the iPhone. It's shipping now and comes with 51 distinct
physical buttons - the opposite design of the iPhone. Nokia is
the #1 mobile phone manufacturer in the world and has sold more than
twice as many phones in the most recent quarter as the 2nd largest
company,
Motorola. If buttons had no value why would Nokia use them?

Nokia
e61i

Apple
iPhone

Compatible Carriers

Any GSM carrier
worldwide (T-Mobile, AT&T,
etc)

AT&T Only

True Cost

$449 (street
price w/out contract)

$739 ($499 plus
$39 activation fee and $200
early termination fee)

Email/Browsing/Instant Messaging

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Wifi

Full

Crippled

VOIP

Yes

No

Software

Expandable

Closed

Music (MP3/iTunes)

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera

2 megapixel

2 megapixel

Video Playback/Record

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Storage

50 MBs
(expandable to 2gb with microSD)

4gb

Viewers (PDF/Word/Excel/Powerpoint)

Y/Y/Y/Y

Y/Y/Y/N

Talk Time/Standby Time

5 hours/9 days

8 hours/10 days

On the Nokia e61i
there are
buttons for nearly every major function. Click a button and you're in
your address book, another and you're in email, another and you're
recording video or a voice annotation or using voice recognition to
dial numbers. Phone owners can even configure
buttons to launch any program they want. Once you're familiar with
these buttons,
it's very quick to jump from task to task on this device, without
even looking at your phone.

The buttons I use most on the Nokia e61i are: email, instant messaging
(this
phone runs Gizmo
that now communicates with all major IM networks),
address book/phone dialer and web browser. Those first 2 tasks (email
and IM) are as much about sending information as receiving it. The
Nokia e61i includes a full qwerty keyboard, similar to the Palm Treo
and
RIM Blackberry, making it practical to type a lot of data. Admittedly,
I
have not used an iPhone touch screen keyboard, but I have used other
touch screen keyboards. They are slow and laborious and nearly
impossible to type rapid fire, as people expect with instant messaging.
The touchscreen fails as a volume input device - any Blackberry or Treo
user can attest to this. Without a keyboard, the iPhone will be a one
way street. It will be
useful for viewing and reading information, but not for transmitting.

"...You can't use Wi-Fi to
download music, update your calendar or address book because Apple
wants
to keep you locked-in with iTunes."

Is button
switching better than a touch screen for overall navigation? Apple's
iPhone certainly has a wow factor but also has carefully
crafted demos. Some benefit is derived from a fresh logical
organization of the phone features. I am often frustrated with my Nokia
phone because of illogical layout of features. To configure the phone
to automatically use my home or work wifi access points, I
have to go
to Tools then Settings then Connection then Access Points. That's 4
levels deep! Don't try and use the "Connectivity" at the top level
because there's no way to access Wi-Fi groups there. Huh? I'm sure
Apple's layout will be more logical and quicker to learn.
I'm not convinced the touch screen is practical for all phone users.
Performing sweeping finger gestures, pinching or sliding the toolbar
generally requires two hands - removing the ability for one hand
operation such as I often do while moving around or carrying a drink.
Look
closely at the video or TV ads and you'll see two hands
cradling the phone or the phone magically suspended so just one hand is
required. I often pick up a phone and operate it with an available
thumb on the same hand that will be difficult, if not impossible with
the
iPhone. Additionally, putting your fingers on the screen for
navigation, as well as leaning your face against it for phone
conversation, will leave the screen covered with dirt and oil.

There's an even greater reason I admire my Nokia e61i over an Apple
iPhone. Today, American phone customers are held hostage by carriers
that
dictate what phones they can buy, what software they can run and what
networks they can use. Carriers use this control to charge over-sized
fees
for many services and trap customers into costly service plans. SMS is
a racket. Roaming fees are outrageous. God help you if you go
over
your minutes-per-month allotment because your bill could be hundreds or
even thousands of dollars. Rather than break this cycle, the
iPhone extends it by adding Apple's limitations to those of
AT&T.

On the iPhone you can't use a music file to set a ringtone because
AT&T wants to keep selling $2.99 ringtones. You can't use Wi-Fi
to
download music, update your calendar or address book because Apple
wants
to keep you locked-in with iTunes. What's the point of having Wi-Fi if
you are
still chained to the PC to access your data? Forget about
using VOIP to make inexpensive calls to bypass AT&T's charges
because that's turned off. Want to use instant messaging to avoid 15
cents per message SMS fees? Forget about it. The device comes with no
IM software and there's no way to add any software. "...I often pick up a phone and
operate it with an available
thumb on the same hand, that will be difficult, if not impossible with
the
iPhone."
Top-end Nokia phones use the Symbian operating system and there are
hundreds, if not thousands, of programs people have written that you
can
add to your
phone. I recently ran (well, I should say "completed") the San Diego
Rock-N-Roll Marathon and used a Nokia
N95
phone as my running companion. I added free software, Sports Tracker,
and tracked
my progress using GPS satellites that constantly reported my minutes
per
mile pace. (Note to self: need to run faster next time or carry an
extra battery. Mine died during the race while
listening to MP3s, instant messaging, and making calls.)

Now you may not be planning on running a marathon, but what about other
core functions you want to add to your phone? Neither the
iPhone or the e61i come with instant messaging software, which I
consider an essential communications need. With one click I added Gizmo software
to my e61i and could then communicate with Gizmo, AIM, and MSN users
(Yahoo coming soon). [Note: I'm CEO of SIPphone, which makes Gizmo
Project.]

Both devices have Wi-Fi, but iPhone cripples its implementation so
it's limited to certain activities. This is not so on the
Nokia e61i.
Nokia's Wi-Fi is truly open Wi-Fi that I can use to download
music, IM,
and make VOIP calls - any activity. This is the way it
should be. The owner should decide when to use Wi-Fi, not the
vendor.
I give much credit to Apple for innovation and
against-the-grain
thinking. It takes guts and a massive financial bet to come out with an
entirely new platform. I admire risk takers and Apple's efforts will
surely push the phone industry forward faster. I have my doubts about
the buttonless design and even larger doubts about missing a keyboard.
The iPhone
may satisfy light to medium users, but I can't see heavy users being
happy. I'll admit I could be wrong. Time will tell and it will be fun
to watch.

I am not wrong about the iPhone being a locked-down device
with
Apple and AT&T in charge of how you, the buyer, use
your
equipment. You can't add software. You're prevented from using the
network
you like for all your activities. You're trapped in the walled garden
that is US mobile. If your software needs are exactly what Steve Jobs
and AT&T dictate and if you don't mind AT&T's hand in
your
wallet, then fine. But my recommendation is to buy an open device that
maximizes your power and control of your software and pocketbook.